This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Most modern vehicles are equipped by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with an infotainment unit that can present audio and visual media. The units can present audio received over the Internet by way of an audio application running at the unit, and present video received from a digital video disc (DVD), for instance.
Vehicle telematics, including remote tracking, diagnostics, and maintenance, is also a growing and importance aspect of modern vehicle use. Vehicle data can be shared with customers via regular mailings or emails. Vehicle data is also increasingly being used in various ways for customer or big-data uses as part of the so-called, Internet-of-Things (IoT).
Sharing information between vehicles and local user smartphones via legacy communication channels has shortcomings. Shortcomings of legacy communication channels include being overly complex, using too much bandwidth in the vehicle, having limited scalability and updateability, and, in some cases, having lower-than-desired levels of data security or privacy.